٠٠:٠٦:١٢US President Joe Biden said 'I did what I came to do', in a news conference following the meeting with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in Geneva on Wednesday.
Biden began the conference by addressing the fanfare around the meeting, but stated there is 'no substitute' for a face-to-face dialogue between the leaders.
The US President went onto say that he and Biden had the shared responsibility of managing a stable relationship between 'two powerful and proud countries'.
"I also told (Putin) that no President of the United States could keep faith with the American people if they did not speak out to defend our democratic values, to stand up for the universal rights and fundamental freedoms that all men and women have, in our view," Biden continued, stating that those values are part of the US's 'DNA'.
Biden went onto explain that many issues were discussed between himself and the Russian president, including the Russian imprisonment of US citizens Paul Whelan and Trevor Reed, opening a dialogue on military affairs, the alleged Russian interference in US elections, as well as a proposal to ban certain infrastructure that could threaten cybersecurity.
Biden finished the conference by stating he 'did what [he] came to do', describing the meeting as 'positive'.
"There wasn't any, any strident action taken. Where we disagreed. I disagreed, stated where it was. Where he disagreed, he stated. But it was not done in a hyperbolic atmosphere. That is too much of what's been going on."
Switzerland: 'I did what I came to do' - Biden comments on meeting Putin in Geneva
US President Joe Biden said 'I did what I came to do', in a news conference following the meeting with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in Geneva on Wednesday.
Biden began the conference by addressing the fanfare around the meeting, but stated there is 'no substitute' for a face-to-face dialogue between the leaders.
The US President went onto say that he and Biden had the shared responsibility of managing a stable relationship between 'two powerful and proud countries'.
"I also told (Putin) that no President of the United States could keep faith with the American people if they did not speak out to defend our democratic values, to stand up for the universal rights and fundamental freedoms that all men and women have, in our view," Biden continued, stating that those values are part of the US's 'DNA'.
Biden went onto explain that many issues were discussed between himself and the Russian president, including the Russian imprisonment of US citizens Paul Whelan and Trevor Reed, opening a dialogue on military affairs, the alleged Russian interference in US elections, as well as a proposal to ban certain infrastructure that could threaten cybersecurity.
Biden finished the conference by stating he 'did what [he] came to do', describing the meeting as 'positive'.
"There wasn't any, any strident action taken. Where we disagreed. I disagreed, stated where it was. Where he disagreed, he stated. But it was not done in a hyperbolic atmosphere. That is too much of what's been going on."
US President Joe Biden said 'I did what I came to do', in a news conference following the meeting with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in Geneva on Wednesday.
Biden began the conference by addressing the fanfare around the meeting, but stated there is 'no substitute' for a face-to-face dialogue between the leaders.
The US President went onto say that he and Biden had the shared responsibility of managing a stable relationship between 'two powerful and proud countries'.
"I also told (Putin) that no President of the United States could keep faith with the American people if they did not speak out to defend our democratic values, to stand up for the universal rights and fundamental freedoms that all men and women have, in our view," Biden continued, stating that those values are part of the US's 'DNA'.
Biden went onto explain that many issues were discussed between himself and the Russian president, including the Russian imprisonment of US citizens Paul Whelan and Trevor Reed, opening a dialogue on military affairs, the alleged Russian interference in US elections, as well as a proposal to ban certain infrastructure that could threaten cybersecurity.
Biden finished the conference by stating he 'did what [he] came to do', describing the meeting as 'positive'.
"There wasn't any, any strident action taken. Where we disagreed. I disagreed, stated where it was. Where he disagreed, he stated. But it was not done in a hyperbolic atmosphere. That is too much of what's been going on."